EXCLUSIVE: Michael Jackson 'Never Stopped Loving' Lisa Marie Presley and Believed They Were 'Soulmates'
Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley divorced in 1996.
Aug. 28 2026, Updated 5:53 p.m. ET
Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley divorced in 1996 after less than two years of marriage, but according to a source, his feelings for her never went away.
Ahead of what would have been the King of Pop's 68th birthday, RadarOnline.com revisits his relationship with Presley.
'He's Never Stopped Loving Lisa Marie'
Lisa Marie Presley and Michael Jackson were married for less than two years.
The same year Jackson's divorce from Presley was finalized, he married longtime friend Debbie Rowe. They welcomed kids Prince and Paris throughout their relationship.
Still, the Smooth Criminal singer apparently struggled to let go of his feelings for his first wife.
"He's never stopped loving Lisa Marie because he feels they are soul mates," a friend dished to Radar in a resurfaced interview. "He thinks she's the s-xiest thing ever put on this earth. He always said she made the bedroom sizzle."
'His First True Love'
A source claimed Michael Jackson loved Lisa Marie Presley and Debbie Rowe.
At the same time, the pal explained that he was also "deeply in love" with Rowe, the mother to his children.
"Despite his very deep commitment to his present wife, Michael is still crazy about Lisa Marie, his first true love," continued the source. "He's very confused, but then Michael's world is always a confusing place. If he could wave a wand, I think he'd have them both, living as man and wife and wife."
"It would be his own personal fairy tale come true," added the friend. "A little harem of two."
'He Never Wanted the Divorce'
Michael Jackson 'didn't want to fight' the divorce, a source claimed.
As for Presley, who tragically passed away January 2023, she told her friend that she regretted filing for divorce.
"She says she was under the spell of her mother, Priscilla, who despises Michael and saw their marriage as a very bad situation for Lisa," the source claimed. "She thought there was too much scandal whirling around Michael, too much weirdness."
"And he never wanted the divorce, either, but bowed to Lisa's wishes," the source said of Jackson. "He didn't want to fight it, because it would be too emotionally damaging."
'Every Night Was Like Their Wedding Night'
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Michael Jackson spent 'thousands' on lingerie, according to a source.
The source also pulled back the curtain on Presley and Jackson's intimate life.
"Every night was like their wedding night when they were married," the pal alleged. "They loved getting up to outdoor hanky-panky, so Michael had a huge wall built around Lisa's house in Hidden Hills, Calif., to keep the neighbors from peeking in."
"When they were at Neverland, they canoodled in the pool and frolicked in the Jacuzzi," the friend continued. "And they both agreed that there was nothing more romantic than making love under the soft light of the moon and the stars."
Jackson also reportedly spent "thousands of dollars" on fancy lingerie for Presley.
According to the source, Rowe would "pretend" in public that she didn't have a problem with Jackson and Presley's continued friendship after their marriage, but "behind closed doors" she was "seething."
"No woman wants her hubby spending that much time with his ex, especially one who's as stunning as Lisa," the source said. "Debbie made such a fuss that Michael sent her home. Then, she went ballistic. But Michael has all the power in the marriage and off she went, humiliated."
